New Medicare prescription drug plan
Re: “Educating seniors about Medicare drug plan,” Nov. 18 Open Forum.
Letter-writer John Breaux of the Medicare Rx Education Network is right about at least one thing when he writes: “We know the success of any new program lies in educating the people who will benefit the most.” That would be the medical insurance and drug companies which, you can bet, are very well educated on how to reap the most profits from this confusing new Medicare drug plan. As Froma Harrop explained in a column the day before, “The insurers have been generously cut into the deal. And Medicare law forbids the government to negotiate prices with drug manufacturers.”
Vern Keel, Denver
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Re: “Medicare drug plan’s confusing sign-up,” Nov. 13 editorial.
I read with interest the information and opinions about the new medicare Part D drug program in The Post’s editorial. In addition to workshops, there are also helpful publications such as UnitedHealthcare’s “Show-Me Guide: Introduction to Part D: Medicare’s New Prescription Drug Coverage,” available at www.medicarerxinfosource.com. Give us seniors credit. We can make phone calls, do research and seek information. Personally, this plan saves me about $900 a year – not bad.
Shirley, Fauer, Raton, N.M.
Dealing with ORVs in the backcountry
A mass of concerned citizens converged on a recent weekend in the town of Crestone for the “Quiet Commotion Conference.” Why? Because people who enjoy traditional activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking and skiing in the mountains are alarmed as their beloved backcountry becomes overwhelmed by dirtbikes, ATVs, snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles (ORVs). Citizens met, not to bash ORVs or to prevent reasonable access, but instead to figure out collectively how to deal with the serious damage to our wildlife, water and traditional lifestyle that results from unmanaged off-road vehicles.
Consider these statistics: Almost 80 percent of Forest Service and BLM lands in Colorado are open to ORVs, which, enabled by new technologies, can climb rock walls, ford creeks and travel at high speed. Land managers who can barely keep the pit toilets pumped and the campgrounds open simply do not have the manpower to manage these increasing and potentially destructive machines.
Attendees brainstormed on what can be done to stop this onslaught and return quiet to the backcountry. The conclusion: Create, restore and manage “quiet- use areas” and place limitations on ORV use by locating them on designated routes in restricted zones and outside of traditional non-motorized areas. It’s the only fair and right thing to do for our future.
Aaron Clark, Westminster
Closing of call center
Re: “United plans to shut down call center,” Nov. 17 business news story.
United Airlines is shutting down its Denver call center and offering the 250 employees the chance to transfer to either Chicago or Detroit. Oh, boy, what an opportunity! As a small-business owner who deals with many suppliers who locate customer service agents in their homes in India and other countries, I suggest United go one step better: Offer the reservation agents the opportunity to do the same from their homes in Denver, instead of uprooting these fine families, most of whom will not take United up on the chance to settle in either Chicago or Detroit. For the price of a computer and a high- speed Internet connection, the cost of maintaining an agent will be a lot less than the cost of maintaining the same agent in a Chicago or Detroit office. If many companies can do it in India with hard-to-understand personnel, United could step up and be a leader in keeping this type of service job in the U.S. and keeping loyal employees.
Jim Pomeranz, Cary, N.C.
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